TURNING POINT A back-and-forth game for its entirety, the Celtics kept things close throughout the fourth quarter on Tuesday, but Irving proved to be too much down the stretch. Irving put in 15 of his 40 points in the fourth quarter, including the final seven for Cleveland. As Boston repeatedly failed to convert on the offensive end over the final few minutes, Irving sliced to the rim, putting in a transition layup with 52 seconds to play and coming back with an old-fashioned 3-point play with 22 ticks left, fouling out Sullinger in the process. Irving completed the 3-point play to give the Cavs a six-point lead that Boston couldn't overcome.

SULLINGER SHINES AGAIN Tuesday was a bit of a homecoming for rookie Jared Sullinger, with the game taking place a little over two hours away from his native Columbus. Despite fouling out with 22 seconds to play on what could be considered a questionable charge call, Sullinger produced his fourth career double-double, providing a much-needed spark of energy by coming through with eight points and seven rebounds over his first nine minutes on the court. While he battled his now customary foul trouble, Sullinger was Boston's only spark off the bench and head coach Doc Rivers elected to pair him with Kevin Garnett along the frontline down the stretch.

BOLD STRETCH OF THE GAME Bradley, who weathered through a mild head cold and the rib injury he's still recovering from, gave the Celtics some needed separation midway through the third quarter. He came through with a loud pin-on-the-backboard block on Dion Waiters in transition and followed the defensive stop with back-to-back transition 3-pointers from the right side. The second one gave Boston a 64-58 lead, which tied its largest lead of the game at the time.

WHAT IT MEANS Not only did the Celtics drop their fourth straight game on Tuesday and slip below .500 again (20-21), but they failed to come out with the sense of urgency Rivers was likely looking for following his heavy criticism of his club in the wake of Sunday's 103-88 loss to the Pistons. Boston's defense was non-existent in the opening quarter, and aside from a decent stretch midway through the third frame, the Celtics showed little in the way of inspired ball. With a back-to-back looming Thursday and Friday against playoff-caliber opponents in New York and Atlanta, Boston will have to regroup quickly and bring out the needed effort to get this rocky season back on the right track. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

CSNE

Cavs latest team to beat slumping Celtics

CLEVELAND — A three game losing streak. The Boston Celtics' biggest homer, head coach Doc Rivers, threatening to push for new players if things don't change soon.

So how did the C's respond against the 14-25 Cleveland Cavaliers?

As if the rhetoric from their coach and the losing ways meant nothing.

For most of the game, it was an emotionless, passionless performance by the Celtics, symbolic of how they have played all season.

And the Cavaliers took the C's lethargic play and used it to their advantage in pulling out a 95-90 win.

There were mental breakdowns, defensive lapses, poor shot selection - just about anything and everything that can be done to lose a game, the Celtics did on Tuesday.

Trailing 88-87, the Celtics had a chance to regain the lead only to have Kevin Garnett's fade-away jumper come up short.

Moments later, Kyrie Irving sprinted down court and finished an acrobatic lay-up to give the Cavs a 3-point lead with 52 seconds to play. He finished with 40 points.

Boston called a time-out, and had plenty of time to still win the game.

But the way their season has gone, the way they played on this particular night, there was little optimism outside of their huddle that they could still win the game.

And true to form, the Celtics squandered an opportunity to potentially tie the game or trim it to one point when Rajon Rondo missed a driving lay-up.

Garnett committed a foul moments later, and this game's outcome became a formality at that point.

As has been the case all season, the Celtics showed flashes of the promise that Rivers has been looking for all season.

But they were once again too few and too far between one another to make a serious impact on the game.

Boston (20-21) led on multiple occasions in the fourth quarter, but simply could not do the little things - box out, don't turn the ball over, make open shots - that have to be done in order to win.

Although Tuesday's game wasn't decided until the final minutes of play, Cleveland was the latest team to get off to a good start with Cavs Kyrie Irving leading the charge.

The reigning Rookie of the Year award winner had 19 first-quarter points which was key to the Cavs leading 31-27 after the first.

Keeping the C's from getting blown out the gym was rookie Jared Sullinger.

Sullinger, who grew up in nearby Columbus, OH, had six points and seven rebounds in his first eight minutes on the floor. He had 12 points and 10 rebounds for the game.

His play was instrumental in the C's pulling ahead by as many as four points in the second quarter, only for Cleveland to regain the lead shortly after Irving re-entered and take a slim 54-53 lead into the half.

The inconsistent play that has been the identity of this Celtics team, was on full display once again.

There were moments in which the execution from defense to offense was seamless. But far too often the Celtics would do what they want defensively, only to take a bad or ill-advised shot. And when there was great ball movement offensively and it resulting in a Celtics basket, often the defense was break down and allow Cleveland an easy score.

The Cavs came into the game ranked dead-last in assists per game this season, with 19.4 per game. At the half, Cleveland had 13 assists.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

WEEI 93.7 FM

KYRIE IRVING AND THE CAVALIERS KEEP THE CELTICS REELING By Mike Petraglia

Paul Pierce and the Celtics found themselves tied up with Kyrie Irving all night in Cleveland. (AP)

Kyrie Irving scored a game-high 40 points and Tristan Thompson added 21 as the Cavaliers added to the misery of the Celtics with a 95-90 win at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. Irving completely dominated the Celtics in the final six minutes, scoring nine points and helping the Cavaliers win for just the 11th time in 43 games. After a season-high six-game winning streak, the Celtics lost their fourth straight and are again under .500 at 20-21. Rajon Rondo led the Celtics with 17 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists.

Making matters worse, the Cavaliers were playing without their starting center Anderson Varejao, who was ruled out for the season this week due to a blood clot in his lower right lung.

Defense was non-existent in the first quarter as the Celtics allowed the Cavaliers to shoot 59.1 percent, as Cleveland made 13-of-22 shots from the floor in building a 31-27 lead. The Celtics cut the deficit to 54-53 at the half.

The Celtics built their lead up to six 64-58 early in the third on back-to-back threes from Avery Bradley but couldn’t pull away.

Irving’s pull-up jumper in transition gave the Cavaliers a 76-75 lead with 7:30 remaining but Pierce found an open Rondo moments later for a layup to give the Celtics the lead right back. Jared Sullinger picked up his fifth foul with just under six minutes remaining and the Cavaliers immediately began their charge behind Irving.

The Cavaliers reassumed the lead 82-81 when Pierce missed a jumper and Tyler Zeller raced out on the break for a layup. But again it was Rondo who answered, this time with a layup with just over four minutes remaining, as the Celtics went back in front, 83-82. Rondo then drew Irving’s fifth foul when he took a charge with 3:30 remaining. But the Celtics couldn’t convert as Kevin Garnett missed with the shot clock winding down.

Irving’s reverse layup with 2:30 left gave Cleveland the lead again, 84-83. Replays showed rookie Zeller kicking the ball ahead to Irving but no violation was called and the basket stood. Irving scored 15 of his 40 points in the fourth quarter as he took control of the game.

Then Rondo committed a mental mistake on a loose ball that careened into the Celtics backcourt. He tried to throw it off Irving but was unsuccessful, allowing Irving to go in for an uncontested layup with just over two minutes left.

Garnett drew the sixth foul of the night on Zeller with 1:30, with Garnett hitting both free throws cutting Cleveland’s lead to one, 88-87. With a chance to give Boston the lead, Garnett missed a baseline fallaway jumper. That led to another spectacular coast-to-coast drive by Irving to put Cleveland up, 90-87, with 52.9 seconds remaining.

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Last edited by 112288 on Tue Jan 22, 2013 10:46 pm; edited 1 time in total

Can somebody explain this to me...Total rebounds Celtics 48 Cavs 39 ....offensive rebounds Celtics 16 Cavs 8 clearly an advantage for the Celtics but.......points in the paint total Cavs 46 Celtics 28 ...every team has no respect for the defense in the paint of the Celtics,specially point guards who are doing whatever they want against Rondo.

I never thought I would admit it but I agree with you whole heartedly. I thought this kid would finally start coming around, but at times he is completely lost out there, as is Terry. For a guy who has been around as much as Terry has, I cannot believe he is playing the way he is. Either he is not making the most of the situation or he is really losing it.

As far as Pierce is concerned, I am hoping he doesn't make the all star team, and the way he has been playing there are other guys out there who deserve to make it more than him. Let him go home and sleep for 7 days, rest, do nothing, and maybe come back a little refreshed. Those are some tired legs we are watching out there. He is front rimming everything.

Looks like the Lakers aren't the only ones falling apart out there. This is a shame. I really thought Danny had put together a good bench to back up the Three Amigos.

Marquis Daniels plays harder than Jeff Green, Pierce is in the midst of the worst stretch of his career, hes morphed into Vince Carter. KG just can't cover everything inside like seasons past, hes like Kareem when he stopped rebounding. When KG needs a rest, this small frontline with Bass, Sully and Pierce or Green does not work, even with Sully showing great strides, hes not a 5.....we need to bring up Melo.

cowens/oldschool wrote:Marquis Daniels plays harder than Jeff Green, Pierce is in the midst of the worst stretch of his career, hes morphed into Vince Carter. KG just can't cover everything inside like seasons past, hes like Kareem when he stopped rebounding. When KG needs a rest, this small frontline with Bass, Sully and Pierce or Green does not work, even with Sully showing great strides, hes not a 5.....we need to bring up Melo.

cowens/oldschool wrote:steve buddy you know more hoop than most, and your modest should we stay the course or blow the team up?

Can't believe we finished the first half of the season as a sub-.500 team and we are a dysfunctional team right now but we gotta wait and see this through. As I said in an another thread, if this team is healthy (especially Bradley), rested and in a good groove heading into the playoffs they will be a handful. Like last year. But I've been majorly disappointed in Bass (he's regressed and has shown he's not a starting PF in this league), Jet and Green. Green has to step his game up and take some of PP's minutes so he's fresh for the playoffs. And it would be nice if Melo can come up in the coming weeks and give us 10 minutes (along with Wilcox) of banging and shot blocking. We are ridiculously thin in the frontcourt - Milicic's departure was regrettable because I really thought he could contribute in a new, narrowly defined role for him - but those two guys can help shore things up.

Trade-wise, there are no great alternatives out there as we don't have anything anybody really wants that would bring us something significant in return. Our guys just need to pick it up. And I really believe they will.

The Knick game Thursday will tell us a lot more about this team, as will the following games against Atlanta and Miami.

What we thought last week could become a ten game winning streak could now just as easily become a seven game losing streak. And if that happens I might start re-thinking my outlook. At least Philly (7-19 their last 26) is keeping us from falling out of the playoff race.

Lakers and Celtics just played the equivalent of one entire season and went an embarrassing 37-45. Jeez. Not many people saw that coming. I know I didn't.

agree with everything you wrote steve, KG and Pierce both have to pick it up, Rondo also has regressed, even though the stats may not show it. One 25 plus point game once every 6 games or so and a bunch of 8 or 9 or 12-13 point games are no where near enough production for this team to succeed.

cowens/oldschool wrote:agree with everything you wrote steve, KG and Pierce both have to pick it up, Rondo also has regressed, even though the stats may not show it. One 25 plus point game once every 6 games or so and a bunch of 8 or 9 or 12-13 point games are no where near enough production for this team to succeed.

It would be enough production if we were getting 15 a game off the bench from Jet, which is what he gave Dallas last year. But one year later he's averaging just under 10 now with tonight's lousy performance. Give us those extra five points a game and the Celts are averaging 100 a game, and with some extra defense in the middle (Melo, Wilcox) we would be winning a lot more games.

It's not just that JET isn't scoring five points more per game. The TIMING of the point production of a sixth man energizer is really important. That guy's job is to create momentum for his team when the team needs a boost. Whatever points JET does score are usually pretty random. He's simply not filling his primary offensive role, which is the only reason to have him on the floor.

Hi,I don't have much to say. Something's definitely going with the team. The last night's game is another evidence of that.I hope that DA, Doc and the players are aware of what it is and, they are or will do something to fix it.

Play through to the end. But just like 2008 where Danny brought in a strong cast of characters to fill in the team around the big three to play a SPECIFIC ROLE in Doc's system Danny has to do the same now.

Danny job is as follows;

1) At the trade deadline build the cast of characters for next year.

Trade BASS, TERRY, BARBOSA, PIERCE maybe GREEN if it is a good swap, and bring in guys who are GREAT ROLE PLAYERS WHO CAN EXECUTE IN DOC'S SYSTEM (2008 i.e) Eddie House, James Possey, Cassell,T. Allen, Powe, PJ Brown.

You can get good role player talent for each of the guys that I mentioned above in a trade now.

LET ME STATE, NO YOU ARE NOT DOING A BLOCKBUSTER DEAL WITH THE GUYS ABOVE. NO YOU ARE NOT TOUCHING OUR GREAT YOUNG TALENT LIKE BRADLEY, MELO, SULLY, RONDO AND LEE.

WE ARE NOT GOING TO THE FINALS LET ALONE THE EASTERN FINALS WITH THE PRESENT TEAM SO START NOW FOR NEXT YEAR BY REBUILDING THE TEAM WITH YOUR ROLE PLAYERS FIRST THEN ADD FREE AGENTS.

I'm not calling for a fire-sale, but I wouldn't be heartbroken if Danny traded the entire team with the exceptions of Rondo (as frustrating as he can be, Mr. Triple Double is still one of the top 3 point guards in the league. How could you trade him and get fair value in return?), Sully (he's a blue chip and a double-double machine as soon as the game slows down a bit more for him and he stops committing fouls that are unrelated to rebounding, scoring and out at the perimeter), KG (still an elite defender and he has a no-trade clause) and Bradley (he's one of the top on-the-ball defenders in the league and he's only 22). If Danny can get value for anybody else (and that includes Pierce), then fine. Could I change my mind next month, if they pull their heads out of their asses and start playing like a team? Sure, but they've shown little cohesiveness at the halfway point. You have to wonder what switch would flip to change that? I mean, it's not like they don't know what to do...

1. Kyrie Irving had an off 2nd half and only scored 40 points. He had 19 points in the 1st quarter on 8-10 and had 23 points on 9-11 at the half. What's scary is that it didn't matter who guarded him, he incinerated Bradley and Lee just as much as he did Rondo. He "took the 2nd half off", only scoring 17, but 15 of them were in the 4th quarter. This kid is an Allan Iverson who likes to practice. The last 5 minutes of the game was Irving with 4 layups, a jumpshot and some fts. Cavs fans are drooling over the rumors that prodigal son LBJ will return home when his contract with Miami is done, now that he has won his championship and can now let that load rest. Those two, together? Wow.

2. Pierce was 3-15. That's so bad I'm not going to comment. His last shot was a ridiculous double-clutch, off-balance 3pt jumpshot that hit nothing. He played 37 minutes. Why? If the answer is that Jeff Green was even worse, then that says we are in a world of hurt. Yep, we're in a world of hurt, because Jeff Green was almost a complete no-show. His stats, and impact, was almost identical to Cav's bench SF Omri Casspi's. The difference? Green played 21 minutes and Casspi only played 10. Green shows flashes of being worth his contract and then turns in a performance like this. Part of me wants to hang in there with him, but I honestly don't know what it is going to take to get him to show up every night and not every third night.

3. Jason Terry is making Boeing's Dreamliner look like a dream. No sparks, no defense, no energy. He's #1 on my trade list, just to get out from under the 3 year commitment. Doc should tell him "the next time you make a video or some other such self-promotional bullshit, you will sit on the bench until you remember what you are being paid $5M/year for". Focus on basketball. Btw, the offer to trade JET for one of bobc's dogs is still on the table. I wanted the more aggressive one, but I'm willing to listen to an offer for the less aggressive one at this point.

4. Courtney Lee made a great steal and started to run. Two or three Cavs got back and Lee agressively tried to take it to the hole. He missed, but I like the mindset. Attack! On the same play, JET was running with Lee. Unfortunately, he was running to the 3pt line and not towards the rim. As a result the Cav defenders really didn't have to make a choice. Obviously, they tried to stop the ball and worry about JET later. Lee played a good game. He was 3-9, so he did not shoot well, but he probably did the best job on Irving of all our defenders.

5. Bass hit his shots. He was 4-7 and had 6 boards. He's starting to come out of his slump. On the other hand he kepting forgetting about Tristan Thompson on defense. He probably has good trade value, since he has a strong career record and doesn't have a history of injuries.

6. Besides, with Sully turning in performances like this Bass becomes more expendable. Another double-double for the kid with half his 10 rebounds offensive. I absolutely love this kid. Even when he's struggling he's working hard. His family was in the stands last night and his father, Satch, was interviewed by both Greg Dickerson as well as the Cav's courtside reporter (I had to keep jumping from link to link due to bad reception). Satch said that he has noticed that Jared's game has improved once "the game slowed down for him". He reminded everyone about how Jared is not afraid to work hard. It's odd to see a man who is a high school coach with an earring. Also, I heard a bit of trivia about Satch, which I will post on another thread. I hope I heard it on the Cav's link and not the Celtics link, otherwise you'll all laugh at me (I can't remember which one). Sully (Jared) has a herniated disk in his back. Not only is Doc now suffering from a herniated disk (which he just recently needed an epidural for) but he played 13 years with one.

Over the summer Danny went out and got a bunch of players that he thought could play well enough so that the starters could sit and play fewer minutes. The assumption there is that the starters would play so well that the bench would be able to hold the fort or, even better, build the lead up even higher. It is now a case of the bench bailing the starters out. Even that isn't reliable, since JET and Green aren't reliable.

We came out after halftime and started playing terrific defense, really terrific, but we couldn't put the ball in the hoop. We ended up at 38%. We need a knockdown shooter to come off the bench and light it up. I'd be willing to accept one whose defense is suspect as long as they are unconscious when they are shooting. Who comes to mind? How about DeMar DeRozan? Not a player I'd actively search for, but he fits the bill. How about Marshon Brooks? He's playing less than 12mpg for Brooklyn. I'd love JJ Redick, but who would Orlando want? I'd love JR Smith, but I'd have to kill Carmelo first before he'd let him go. Hmm, maybe that's not such a bad way to go after all.

Good post. Cortney Lee is one of your key ROLE PLAYERS. You do not include him in any trade. He gives you:

1) Energy off the bench2) Speed...boy is he fast3) Tight defense4) He has a good offensive game as a role players5) Inexpensive contract

This is where you begin putting a collection of role players together beginning with Lee.

Wilcox is your next role player. He gives your:

1) Energy off the bench. He likes running with Rondo2) He has nice soft hands around the rim and has an offensive game3) He is a big at 6'10" who can give you coverage in the paint and who at times can be physical.5) Cheap contract

He is your next role player behind Lee. If you look at building the team this way verses a mega trade, the Celtic's team begins to take shape. Then you sign fee agents in the summer WITHOUT SACRIFICING ANY YOUNG TALENT from Gm's looking to pick the pocket of Danny.

The Celtics are in a better position then the LA Lakers are in rebuilding on a quicker time frame.

I have an answer for your question at the end of point # 2. Call some plays for him.

I recently put Green in a group that prefers free lance basketball. Actually, I should have put him in a "limboland" group of his own because I don't know whether iso ball is what he really prefers, and I'm quite sure that nothing else is an option for him in the Celtics' offensive system.

I think I've seen you post stats showing what percentage of players' made field goals are assisted. I bet Jeff would be way down on that list, and most of the assists he does get are on corner jumpers.

I realize that criticizing Jeff is becoming a popular pastime because of inconsistent. When you have an aggressive nose for the basket and you are forced to create your own shot among a bunch of statues who seldom set picks for you, you're going to be inconsistent because the conditions (including matchups or opponents' defensive schemes) just don't always permit it.

But can't everyone see how hard he has to work to create his points in the paint? His body takes a real beating, and he's fouled a lot. He's essentially tied with KG for second place on the team in terms of free throws taken per 36 minutes of play. (Pierce is well out in front.)

I give Jeff a lot of credit for not having pitched a teepee at the three-point arc like Terry has done. I have no idea what his endurance is like in the aftermath of his surgery, but frankly I cringe when I see him slash to the hoop with opponents beating on him and virtually no help from his teammates.

This is not intended to be an apology for Jeff's performance. (1) I'm solely interested in how the Celtics' overall performance can be improved. (2) I believe (unlike many others) that their offense is worse than their defense, and a better offense will beget more inspired defense. (3) I think the Celtics could get a lot more out of Jeff Green on the offensive end by calling plays for him and setting picks for him so he doesn't have to deal with a scrum every time he goes to the hoop.

I have an answer for your question at the end of point # 2. Call some plays for him.

I recently put Green in a group that prefers free lance basketball. Actually, I should have put him in a "limboland" group of his own because I don't know whether iso ball is what he really prefers, and I'm quite sure that nothing else is an option for him in the Celtics' offensive system.

I think I've seen you post stats showing what percentage of players' made field goals are assisted. I bet Jeff would be way down on that list, and most of the assists he does get are on corner jumpers.

I realize that criticizing Jeff is becoming a popular pastime because of inconsistent. When you have an aggressive nose for the basket and you are forced to create your own shot among a bunch of statues who seldom set picks for you, you're going to be inconsistent because the conditions (including matchups or opponents' defensive schemes) just don't always permit it.

But can't everyone see how hard he has to work to create his points in the paint? His body takes a real beating, and he's fouled a lot. He's essentially tied with KG for second place on the team in terms of free throws taken per 36 minutes of play. (Pierce is well out in front.)

I give Jeff a lot of credit for not having pitched a teepee at the three-point arc like Terry has done. I have no idea what his endurance is like in the aftermath of his surgery, but frankly I cringe when I see him slash to the hoop with opponents beating on him and virtually no help from his teammates.

This is not intended to be an apology for Jeff's performance. (1) I'm solely interested in how the Celtics' overall performance can be improved. (2) I believe (unlike many others) that their offense is worse than their defense, and a better offense will beget more inspired defense. (3) I think the Celtics could get a lot more out of Jeff Green on the offensive end by calling plays for him and setting picks for him so he doesn't have to deal with a scrum every time he goes to the hoop.

Sam

sam,

I don't remember posting something like that, I remember posting something about charges taken/given. You could be right though. According to 82games.com, most of Green's baskets are assisted. Only 38% of his shots, though, are called "inside", as in a dunk or a tip or close. So, a lot of Green's offense does come out of a flow, but most of it is jumpshots. A 6'9" SF jumpshooter. http://www.82games.com/1213/12BOS8.HTM

It provides an interesting perspective to look at each player's assisted fg% and what % of their shots are inside. Sometimes it isn't what one would think. For example, JET is 78% assisted, only 11% inside while Lee is 66% assisted but 31% inside. I would have thought that JET would be creating more shots for himself than Lee. Barbosa is only 42% assisted (perhaps that's because he plays more point, and therefore doesn't receive the pass as much as he is to deliver it? His assists/36mpg is much better than JET's) but 46% of his points are inside. Get a load of KG's inside shot %... Here's the main page: http://www.82games.com/1213/1213BOS.HTM

Jeff Green plays softer than his size. So, he'd have to be the cutter. Why Doc doesn't have Sully or Collins set a pick for Green and let him cut to the hoop, I don't know. To be honest, I'm sensing that Doc has surrendered control of the offense to Rondo and, as we have seen, that can be both good and bad.

When was the last time you saw Green go to the hoop in a halfcourt set without the ball in his hands when he started? We've got 3 players who do that: two guards, Bradley and Lee; and one big, Sully. Everybody else, when moving without the ball, pops. To me, that's about mindset, it requires an attacking mindset to think "run to the iron" as opposed to "run to daylight". So, telling Green he has to cut to the hoop, as opposed to popping out from behind a screen for a jumpshot, would require a change of mindset from him. Sorry, but I don't see that happening because it requires changing the man. You can attach a couple of pingpong paddles to one of bobc's dogs' snout and then tie a tennis racket onto their tail, that doesn't make them a platypus (if they were labs they'd already have the webbed feet).

People have been telling Green to run all year (I'm not talking about us, I'm talking about the coaching staff and his teammates). Sometimes he does, like every third game.

There's a commercial for the US Marines that asks the question "Which way would you run?". To me, that's the question at the heart of this. Which way would Jeff Green run? So far, he has run to daylight. Sully, who also has a good mid-range game, runs to the sound of the guns. Bradley and Lee also take it into the thicket, while Terry prefers open pasture and easy grazing.